ASBURY PARK – The future of the city’s beach bonfires is uncertain, even with a boardwalk eatery eager to help sponsor the summer festivity.

Mogo, a boardwalk Korean-style taco stand, stepped up willing to co-sponsor the Friday event with the city after its previous sponsor Madison Marquette decided not to fund the beachside blaze this year.

“The bonfire is a great tradition that Madison Marquette, the former sponsor, started on the Asbury Park boardwalk,” Mogo co-owner Jason DeVino said. “We feel that it’s very important to the community and potential visitors of the city to continue that tradition.”

DeVino said they are hoping the city’s department of public works can help fill in where resources fall short. However, as of Wednesday, DeVino said he is still waiting for the meeting with the city.

“If the city can’t help mitigate our costs, we are looking for other co-sponsors,” DeVino said three weeks ago.

On June 19 the city council approved the dates for the bonfires, but not the event itself, because it wanted more information on how the fires would work and how the wood would be transported on and off the beach.

CONNECT WITH US

“The city will everything possible to try to make it happen,” Giberson said.

Giberson said the event goes before the special events committee and then the recommendation has to go before the city council, which would ultimately have the final say on the event. He did not know if there was a timetable set for getting the bonfires up and running.

Tom Gilmour, director of commerce for the city, said that he hopes the bonfires would continue, adding that he did not know why Madison Marquette decided not to fund the event this year.